How much does a cloud weigh?

How much does a cloud weigh? Today’s Video of the Day from the American Chemical Society explains how a cloud manages to float when its weight is usually the equivalent of about 300 midsize cars.

As water vapor rises, it cools and condenses into tiny droplets of water or ice. These droplets, which are distributed throughout the cloud, do not weigh much on their own because they are so minuscule. 

However, these droplets combine to form massive clouds. The average cumulus cloud is made up of 5 trillion grams of water, which is about 1.1 million pounds. Clouds will easily weigh millions of pounds because they contain vast amounts of tiny droplets of water and ice. Cumulus clouds are the clouds that most people are familiar with.

The average weight of these puffy white clouds is 1.1 million pounds. They may look all light and fluffy, but the reality is that clouds are actually pretty heavy. Researchers have calculated that the average cumulus cloud – which is that nice, white fluffy kind you see on a sunny day. Also Try to move it by blowing into the tubing. You should be able to move the smaller, lighter object. Wind does essentially the same thing with cloud drops. As you have just seen, clouds stay in the sky because they are made of small drops that are kept from falling by updrafts.

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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer

Video Credit: American Chemical Society